weapons on a small scale in syria. specifically, the chemical agent sarin. >> nbc news chief white house correspondent chuck todd is traveling with the president. he is in texas. before i get more information on what the white house is saying, i want to play the president's remarks, august 20th, 2012, when this red line was first referenced by the president. let's play it. >> we have been very clear to the outside regime but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is, we start saying a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. that would change my calculus. that would change my equation. >> of course, august 20, 2012. what is the administration saying right now, chuck? >> reporter: well, they're a fine line here. what you heard secretary hagel say is the intelligence community believes that chemical weapons have been used by the assad regime.

a senior official briefed a bunch of reportaries few minutes ago and what he is saying is we need more evidence to confirm the intelligence community's assessment. the senior official made reference to the infamous wmd information back in the day in saying that's why you have to confirm this. the administration is not saying, what they're not saying is that they have firm evidence that the red line that the president drew has been crossed. what they're saying is the intelligence community believes that it has. so it calls into question, and a question that i have, waiting for a response from the administration is, why come out publicly with this intelligence assessment if you're not fully 100% or 90% certain? what level of certainty are you in involving this decision? what was the reason they decided to positively do this? was it pressure from congress

who was getting private briefings? were they about to go public and the white house decided they had to go public with this information? is it that they're trying to get international support to decide what the options are? the other thing in here that's unknown is the senior official at the white house will not say what are the options on the table? they will say the president has a range of options in responding if indeed they prove that this red line has been crossed regarding chemical weapons. but the question is what are those options? and they wouldn't get into specifics. some are military but perhaps not all of them are. at this point it is clear that they would like to have international cover on this no matter what happens. references to the british and the french. that's who we're most closely working with. the gulf states in the region, they were coalition provided the back bone of the coalition regarding libya. that's probably the best comparison here, tamron. it looks like the administration is trying to do what they did with libya and trying to build a similar coalition there. >> speaking of libya, senator

mccain was critical of the administration's decisions regarding the events playing out and already, chuck, we've heard from senator mccain regarding this news and chemical weapons being used by syria. let me play what senator mccain said. >> the president of the united states said if assad used chemical weapons, it would be a game changer. that it would cross a red line. i think it is pretty obvious that red line has been crossed. >> so there you have it. some might say the usual suspect in these international story lines if you will. but senator mccain already on record criticizing in some ways. >> the other person usually the ally in the senate, lindsey graham has been quoted as saying he is not suggesting the u.s. should act unilaterally. so there isn't, there is certainly a movement on capitol hill that something has to be done. there's not unanimity on what do you do. there's a lot of hesitance. not just the obama

administration and the white house. also among republican hawks about getting the u.s. military involved in a unilateral faction or even a very small coalition. the question now, it could be the administration is trying to buy a little time here. to get an international coalition together that is viable. and of course, the biggest player here has to be russia, right? does this change russia's view on assad? do the russians publicly come out and could not chemical this at some point? they have said for them, chemical weapons is a red line. does the u.s. government feel they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt here, that was certainly the pledge they were trying to send in this conference call. we need to prove it beyond doubt. the intelligence community is one thing them want more tangible facts. >> thank you very much for joining us. >> let me bring in bob menendez, the chairman of the committee. thank you for your time. you heard chuck there bring up a number of questions.

first and foremost, the timing of all of this information coming from defense secretary chuck hagel. can you talk to me about the timing before we get to what's next? >> well, look, several of us sent a letter to the president yesterday saying can you answer in a nonclassified way, were chemical weapons used? we had the israelis, the french, the british say that in fact they believe that in fact intelligence pointed in that direction. and i think that the disclosure today is incredibly important. because it changes the dynamics of one of the policy options for the united states and the international community. and the one thing i think the administration is trying to do here. i understand that since we have an experience of going to the united nations and not having all our facts in order and having the consequences of that is, what was the chain of custody, exactly how was it used? if we can nail that down, you can go to the security council and seek the type of international support that i think that we want and we would

desire in further actions against the assad regime. >> senator john mccain says, quote, i think it is pretty clear, present obvious the red line has been crossed. what is your response to his remark? >> well, if we nailed down what we believe, that assad did in fact have a limited use of chemical weapons against his own people, yes. and even before this fact, i had called about two weeks ago for changing the dynamics in syria. if assad can total to have a total monopoly on air power and artillery against an opposition that doesn't have the ability to fight back in that regard, then you don't change the tipping point. assad will continue to stay in power. the carnage will continue. the spillover into neighboring countries like jordan will continue. the potential access to chemical weapons by those who we would not want to see access to exists

and you have a deterioration for the entire region. so that was then. now i think that it just ratchets up the options we must consider, including trying to seek an international no-fly zone. if you have chemical weapons being flown and sprayed in that respect, you have the potential for mass killings. also, to ensure that in fact those chemical weapons sites are secure. also to change the dynamics for assad and lastly, to ensure that the extremist elements inside syria don't create a second war for us. >> senator menendez, thank you for joining us. i greatly appreciate you joining us for this breaking news. let me bring in a reporter from the region. you're here with us in new york as this breaking news is coming down. a couple of questions here. you heard chuck talk about the facts. getting the facts in order. we heard chuck hagel say it is all being investigated. how are they able to come to

this conclusion? >> as we understand it, there has been physiological samples that have been collected. anecdotal evidence that have been submitted perhaps from the satellite imagery. the u.s. pays attention to the stockpile weapons. they can probably trace the movements over the last conservative months so there is definitely evidence to suggest this. the central question will be, did the assad regime order the use of chemical weapons? the reason that's so important, do we know whether this was a military unit besieged, under attack, decided to shoot an artillery to fight off a rebel attack or was this something that came from president assad? and there are arguments to go both ways on whether or not the syrian regime needs to use weapons when they've slaughtered 70,000 people. >> chuck mentioned the importance of russia saying this would be a red line. we've seen at this point, tens of thousands of people die each

day these numbers are staggering. to believe that it has been that amount of loss of life, now we've moved and escalated to something far beyond. probably our worst anticipation of what would happen. >> absolutely. you know the interesting point about russia, the russians implied that it may have been the rebels who used chemical weapons in the past. so this is the line the syrian government has towed. the rebels have used chemical weapons against regime forces in the syrian military. what we've heard today from secretary of defense hagel, it seems to have originated from within the regime. not from within the rebels. as russia has over the past several years in this conflict, they have stood very closely to the assad regime. they may as well do so despite the new claims coming out from the united states, israel, france and europe. >> thank you very much. the news on syria comes as the president leaves texas. the dedication of george w. bush's library in dallas to attend a memorial service for

the victims of that massive fertilizer explosion in west texas. the president and first lady will join governor rick perry and thousands of firefighters from across the country to london the 14 people killed there. peter alexander is in waco. we'll get to the memorial. i understand you have new comments from jay carney regarding whether or not the white house or the president will make an official statement on this news with syria. >> reporter: that's right. we heard from the press secretary a short time ago insisting that neither he nor the president of the united states would make any comments either on or off camera today about the issue that you're speaking about in syria right now. the next time we do expect to hear from this president will be here in a matter of hours. we're at baylor university, of course. this is the second time in exactly a week that the president has been in this position where he's had to console a community grieving. i was inside a short time ago on the campus at the arena where they play their home basketball games. roughly 10,000 people expected. 4,000 of them. firefighters. at the front of the room, what

is so striking is the loss to this community. there are 12 caskets standing watch. you see 12 honor guards there as they have been doing since this awful tragedy took place eight days ago. the damage estimates now here in this community are estimated at more than $100 million. the crater at the site in west, texas at that site is still 90 feet, as best i understand, 90 feet wide as the investigation continues there. aid chance to speak to some of those individuals that have come hear for this day a short time ago. there was a processional of first responders. inside i spoke to a man not far from here in waco named john carnes. i asked why he came. he said he did not know any of the victims personally but he said this is texas. everybody knows everybody and considers them family here. >> all right. thank you. new information on communication between the russia and the u.s.

over suspect tamerlan tsarnaev. we'll talk with maryland congressman, he says it is too soon to start accusing agencies of dropping the ball. plus, the suspect's mother again today defending her sons. >> i thought they would protect us, our kids, it is going to be safe. but it happened. [ phil ] when you have joint pain and stiffness...

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more now on the historic gathering in dallas, texas, for the dedication of the new $250 million george w. bush presidential center. that is the scene there. it is by the way the first time

all five living u.s. presidents have been together since 2009. >> mr. president, let me say that i'm filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the great contributions you've made to the most needy people on earth. >> a great pleasure to be here. to honor our son, our oldest son, and this is very special for barbara and me, and thank you all for coming and to all those who made this marvelous museum possible. we thank you. >> a couple of times a year in his second term, george bush would call me just to talk politics. and a chill went up and down my spine when laura said that all their records were digitized. dear god, i hope there's no record of those conversations. >> the first thing i found in that desk the day i took office was a letter from georgia. one that demonstrated his

compassion and his generosity. for he knew that i would come to learn what he had learned. that being president above all is a humbling job. there are moments where you make mistakes. there are times where you wish you could turn back the clock. >> in the end, leaders are defined by the convictions they hold. my deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration is that the united states of america must strive to expand the reach of freedom. >> joining me now, nbc news political editor mark murray and political analyst jonathan alter. i don't have to tell you that this come with the news regarding syria that it may have used chemical weapons against its own people. we're now about intel. you look at many years ago, the weapons of mass destruction intel certainly not what it was supposed to be, not accurate on.

this day this library is dedicated. >> there is a fancy word for it. synchronicity. no fly zones. that goes back to the clinton administration, dealing with these thorny problems in the middle east. when do we intervene? when do we not? if we draw red lines and we don't do anything when somebody crosses them, what are the implications? what are the implications for our people when you see what happens to our veterans with ptsd and all the other things. >> and affecting the mindset of the american people who hear this breaking news in syria and say we are not ready to go into another country. with the boots still on the ground in afghanistan and the situation in iraq. >> it needs to be said that president obama comes from a very different place on these issues. he was against the iraq war.

that's how he first advanced in politics. and he will be very reluctant to intervene except on a multilateral basis. if you see an intervention, it will be through the auspices of the u.n. security council. >> so much of this library is dedicated, as has been reported, to the what would you do scenario when individuals go to visit the center in my home state of texas. they'll be able to in a sense face a very small scale way, some of the decisions that form he remember that did at the time. but going back to these events with syria, you have john mccain today on record saying it is obvious that the red line has been crossed even though it is not, and it does take us back to the tone and the tenor of this country after 9/11 and those who were ready to make a move before all of the facts were in. >> one of the themes of all the speeches that we heard today from the current and form he presidents is how difficult the position of president is.

and you're seeing this being played out in syria. we saw it a couple years ago with the u.s. intervention into libya. and of course, the iraq invasion in 2003 plays in. as jonathan was just mentioning, iraq is so instructive because the obama administration has taken a much more cautious approach to foreign policy and intervention, precisely due to that situation. when the united states was gearing up for war against iraq, you have to remember what had happened at the time. you had the 9/11 terrorist attacks. you had so much political capital that george w. bush used to sell the war to the country. and the united states got into war very quickly and it took a decade to get out. that has to be sitting on the mine of president obama right now. >> some of the people who have been part of the analysis of this center take issue with the fact that the war on terror and the iraq war are i guess in the same area of this presidential library, still connecting those

two when they were not connected. >> they conflatd them in the museum as if the war in iraq were somehow a response to al qaeda being in iraq. and they had their reasons for taking out saddam hussein. when they claimed there was a connection between him and 9/11, that was simply untrue. now before everybody gets too worried about us marching off to another war, i think libya is a better template for this conversation than iraq and afghanistan. libya, what happened was the united states essentially, they used american weapons but we let the europeans take the lead. and we'll see whether our allies are as exercised about chemical weapons. >> and that i. may be one of the possibilities. the white house is not buying time but certainly trying to get support from the international

community before the president states a stand here. i have to play there sound that everyone is talking about. barbara bush was interviewed by matt lauer on today and asked about jeb bush running for president. let me play it. >> would you like to see your son jeb run? >> he is by far the best qualified man, but no. i really don't. i think it is a great country. there are a lot of great families. and it is not just for families. there are other people out there that are very qualified. and we've had enough bushes. >> cannot you see the political attack ad? we've had enough bushes. if jeb bush decides to run, his own mother being used against him? that's a whole other conversation. let me get your thoughts on it. >> the context is important that jeb bush for the first time is starting to put out some feelers that he might mount a 2016 presidential bid. he was well out in front talking about immigration reform although that p.r. stumbled a

bit. he's been meeting with a lot of people and certainly not down the news that he is running for 2016. but you're right. his words from his mother, we've had enough bushes. not only probably illustrates her sentiment but the sentiment from a lot of americans. if he run for president, ends up winning the contest, he would be the third bush in the last two decades to serve in that office. that is a consideration. and certainly as we're looking at george w. bush's legacy, whether or not his brother run for presidency would end up giving an indication of where that legacy is. >> your quick thoughts on that. >> i think jeb bush himself said last summer when i saw him, that his time might have passed. so he is weighing it. but i think the assumptions in some political circles that oh, yeah, he's going, were not right. he hasn't decided. and his mother was not smiling. this was not a joke. >> she was dead serious. >> this was a serious comment. i think the odds of his running just went way down. >> that certainly requires a

family meeting around the dinner table for sure. goodness. thank you, mark, thank you, jonathan. great pleasure having you both on. straight ahead, new reaction to the reports that the boston terror suspects had, quote, an undeveloped plan to target new york city. this is news this hour. we'll give you the latest details there. ♪ if loving you is wrong

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news in the boston marathon bombings. nbc news has confirmed that they had a plan to go to new york. one senior official described it as undeveloped and aspirational at most. this comes from the interview with the suspects. and moments ago, the new york city commissioner indicated the two suspects were heavily armed and headed to time square. >> the two brothers had at their disposal six improvised explosive devices.

one was a pressure cooker bomb similar to the two that had exploded at the marathon. the other five were pipe bombs. >> meanwhile, official from both parties say surviving suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev has been silent ever since he was read his miranda rights. officials were able to question him 16 hours before has not. the suspect's parents spoke to the media this morning in russia in dagestan. we're learning u.s. agencies put the older brother's name on three data bases of terror suspects. but miner errors loud tamerlan to slip through the cracks and allowed him to travel out of the country. joining me,. first let's get your reaction to the suspect, dzhokhar tsarnaev going silent after he was read

his miranda rights. are you uncomfortable with the way this has played out as far as the interrogation of the suspect? >> not at all. there are two issues. the issues of giving people their constitutional rights and what could be used in a court of law for a prosecution and then the other issue is protecting the united states and protecting us from terrorist attacks. the attorney general came out with an opinion that basically that, if in fact it is a perceived or a terrorist attack, that you do not have to read miranda rights and you can interrogate individuals. that is really what happened in this case. i think it was 16 hours before he was read his miranda rights. and he was what we call lawyered up. >> you've had on record you believe it is too soon to start blaming fingers and blaming agencies for not following the brother despite at least two contacts with russian officials. one with the fbi and one with the cia. all of this is being investigated. what is your primary question that you would like to see

answered without finger pointing at this time? >> i think the fbi with the authorities did a tremendous job giving the evidence and finding the officials. the next phase is did they act alone. did they have third parties involved. did tamerlan when he went to russia, was he rat calized. was he taught to make a bomb. what i'm interested now, i think a big focus of our investigation should be what happened in russia? we need to hopefully get the russian government and to take our people, let's talk about the issue of not working together or where they were failures. what really happened is how this started is that the fbi got information from russia. there is a possible suspect who could be a terrorist.

the fbi had got the e-mail. they investigated him for four months. after the four months, they weren't able to find any information to show that he was doing anything legal. that he was radicalized, that he had contacts with terrorism. after they finished their investigation, that went into a database. that system worked. when he later on, maybe eight months later decided to go to russia. when he bought that ticket for the airlines, right after bought the ticket, that popped out. and right away we were notified that he was traveling to rush. at that point, we had no information that he was radicalized, he was a terrorist. and our investigation didn't show that. he is a legal permanent resident. he had a green card. >> he was put on the data bases for a reason. obviously, as you point out, there were still some kind of investigation over a four-month

period. he was placed on these three data bases. he was able to leave there country and quote/unquote slip through the cracks because of errors. >> let's talk about that. i'm not trying to defend anything. we're going to deal with the facts. and we still don't have all the facts. even though the fbi did not make a determination at that time and he was a legal resident of the united states of america, they still because of the inquiry from russia he was put in the database. that system worked. as soon as he tried to leave the country. but again, when that came up and the fbi looked at his file or law enforcement looked at his file, there was nothing that came up there that said that he was involved in terrorism. he was radicalized. there was no information to that effect. then we also made contact on three occasions with russia and asked them for more information and it never got back at that point. three different times. the issue, it is not about, you're going to evaluate. our job in congress is to see whether the system works, to see

whether the individuals working the system did what they were supposed to do. that's what we're looking at right now. you have to remember you have certain rights when you're an american citizen or a legal permanent resident. >> right. congressman, thank you so much for your time. as you pointed out, a lot going on. we're still daily getting new details on this story. that will likely continue for some time even as it moves into hearings and investigations. >> good to be with you. also today the suspect's parents revealed new details about their sons and the investigation. the mother deny her sons are responsible. and she said she regrets moving the family to the u.s. >> i thought americans would protect us, our kids. it will be safe. for any reason. but it happened. opposite. americans took apply kids away from me. only america. why wouldn't i regret?

i don't know. i think it is, i'm sure that my kids were not involved in this. >> nbc's adrian is live in ago did dagestan. i'm curious about the media coverage and what the family is seeing about her sons' alleged involvement. >> reporter: it sounds like the parents are either deluding themselves or they are actually being informed minimally. for one, the mother said today at this press conference that she had been talking to the lawyers representing her younger son dzhokhar in hospital and she was will that he has not been questioned yet. that he isn't able to speak. that he isn't able to write. and the lawyer said he is in no condition to be questioned. and she is questioning in

return, where are these allegations against her son? her sons are being named. >> what else did she say? we heard the latter part, obviously she was crying and quite emotive there. she said she regrets moving her kids to the united states. again, it seems she is blaming the government for the alleged actions of her sons. >> reporter: she hasn't actually accused anybody specifically or any institution or any government specifically of but yes, she has alleged again that this whole thing is a set-up. that her sons were being set-up. she even suggested that she might be set up for something if she goes back to the u.s. she did say she would like to go to the states to see her son dzhokhar but she had been informed by the lawyers that she wouldn't be able to see him until he was transferred from hospital, from the hospital into prison. >> all right. thank you very much. the latest from dagestan. more on what the family is saying there.

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zubeidat. a new poll shows kelly ayot ayotte, her points have dropped four points since last october. her disapproval has jumped. her opposition to expand back ground checks would make they will less likely to support her for re-election in 2016. the poll shows 75% of new hampshire voters support expanding background checks while 21% are opposed. joining me now, chris kofinis.

this is just one poll, one snap shot. we'll have to wait and see if more show the same trend. but this is kind of along the lines of what the president said and those who support gun safety measures. we would see, i don't want to use the word payback but that's what we would see come election time. >> that's right. particularly around 2014. i think the white house and democrats have signaled they are very much prepared to make these gun control, gun safety votes part of their platform and part of what they run on in 2014. i think it is a little too early to know if this particular senator ayotte is actually facing some back lash because of this vote or whether or not there is just general dissatisfaction. it is only a 4-point decline. a 15-point swing altogether. it is a little too early to know. i think the democrats are looking to make some noise around this issue. particularly for 2014.

this is something that's new for democrats. make this issue part of their platform. >> let me play a little of this anti-ayotte ad from gabby giffords' super pac. let's play a little of that. >> remember that ad kelly ayotte ran saying she's one of us? oh, where she's out for a run? >> well, it surt didn't take long for her to go washington. says here, ayotte voted against improving back ground collection to keep guns out of the hands of criminals of. >> are you serious? >> y89% of the people in new hampshire support universal background checks. >> she just ignored us? >> sure did. >> that follows up on that, we hadn't seen this action from those who want to see legislation regarding gun purchasers who can buy them. >> that's right. notable in this ad they are using the voices of two women in this ad. and you know what has happened to us so far in 2012 with that

big gender gap you saw. wrapping this around mothers and women is probably a strategy that the white house should have tried to employ more frequently. you saw them do that near the end. i think this is sort of a template of what they'll try to do in 2014. >> yeah. and i think, i'm curious, senator heidi heitkamp has some time before she has to fight to keep her seat. but she's a democrat who voted against the background check bill. will she see that same kind of pressure from maybe some democrats? >> i think she'll see some pressure. a little bit of a different circumstance because she just won her seat so she's got time. that being said, we're going to have, this is a terrible thing to say, wee have more mass shootings. it is inevitable, unfortunately. as these happens and people realize again that we have not done enough. washington has not done enough to try to stop them. the pressure will build. i spoke to senator manchin.

he is optimistic that something will pass. you're seeing the pressure in new hampshire. i don't think it will go away. it will continue to build. >> we want to take our audience to boston. brigham women's hospital there. one of the survivors of the marathon bombing, heather abbott is speaking for the very first time. let's listen in. >> next question. yes? >> could you talk a little about that process of seeing -- i read [ inaudible ] could you talk about that decision making process for you? >> the question is, could you talk a little about the decision making process to amputate? >> well, the doctor gave me the rundown as did several other doctors on the choice i had.

and basically, it was whether to keep my leg, my foot, actually is where the injury occurred or to amputate sort of below the knee. and it was a difficult decision. when i weighed the pros and cons, i think this was the best option for me. dr. bloomen explained to me that if i kept my foot, it was very badly mangled. it would probably most likely never fully heal or be functional. it would likely be shorter. one of my legs would likely be shorter than the other and i wouldn't be able to live the lifestyle that i did prior to the injury. so although the prosthetic will be something that i'll have to get used to, i think i have a better chance of living my life the way i used to with that. >> next question. here in the second row? >> you talk about a better chance to live your life. what are some of the things that you're hoping to be able to do

in the coming months and years? >> what are some of the thing you're hoping toot in the coming months and coming years? >> in the coming months, probably not much, other than walking. but i talked to somebody yesterday, actually. one of the doctors came to see me. he was asking me what kind of activities i do. i told him that i like to run. i like to do zumba classes, aerobic classes, that sort of thing. i told him about plans i had this summer to do yoga paddle boarding. that i was kind of disappointed that i wouldn't be able to do it this year. some friends and i wanted to sign up for it. and he said you'll be doing it next year. don't worry about it. i'm not too worried that i won't be able to maintain the same type of lifestyle of. >> can you take us back to the day that happened, what happened and what you remember? >> heather, would you take them back through the day this happened, what happened and what you remember? >> sure. i was up with a bunch of my

friends from the newport area. we usually take the train on patriots day from providence to boston and watch the red sox game and then go over to the bar called forum. it has been a tradition for us. and one of our friends works there as a bartender. she happened to be that day so we made plans to go there and meet some other friends there. when we left the game a little bit early, some of us split off. a group of us got to the bar forum a little earlier, two of my girlfriends than me. when we got there, we were standing in line outside waiting to get in. the bouncer was checking pe people's i.d.'s. i was the last of the three of us insign ever line. as we were standing there, a loud noise went off. i remember turning around and looking and seeing smoke and seeing people screaming. and i immediately, it

immediately reminded me of 9/11. something i had seen on tv. and it just all happened so quickly that when i turned around, the second blast had already happened. and it blew a bunch of us into the bar. and i suppose it hit me because i was the last one. i was on the ground. everybody was running to the back of the bar. to the exit and i felt like my foot was on fire. i knew i couldn't stand up. and i didn't know what to do. i was just screaming. somebody please help me and i was thinking, who is going to help me? everybody else is running for their lives. to my surprise, and from what i'm learning now, just learning how i was sort of rescued out of there, there were two women and two men involved in helping me get out of the bar and into an ambulance.

the first woman i believe was someone from the foundation. she had initially seen me and helped me get, kind of help drag me and then a gentleman high later learned was matt chatham, took me upstairs and actually carried me outside. he and his wife were tanning to me as well as another member of the association. and they wouldn't leave my side until they knew i was safe in the ambulance, along with the friends that i had attended the game with that day. i've talked to them briefly and i'm supposed to meet him at some point so i'm really forward to that. then i was put in the ambulance with other individuals. i looked to my side and there were other people there in the

ambulance as well. it was very scary. i didn't know what was going to happen to me. if it was just my foot that was injured. i asked the emt to call my mom. and he called her. i only knew her home phone number so luckily she happened to be home. and i heard him tell her to go there. that's pretty much all i remember about that evening. >> next question. let's just go over here. >> i wonder how much you've been thinking about the suspects -- >> the question to heather is, curious what you're thinking about the suspect and what you're thinking about the remaining suspect. >> it's funny, i've been asked that question before and i haven't thought much about them at all. i don't even know how to pronounce their names. i haven't watched tv since the incident. and i think that's one of the

things that is helping me get through this. to just focus on my recovery and how to proceed with my life. i'm sure at some point i will be interested in the details and have an opinion about the individuals that did this. but i haven't let my mine go there at all. >> could you get back to talking about the decision process? could you talk about your emotions during that? did you reach a point where you had to decide you would not look back? >> let me just repeat the question, sorry, heather, for the people listening online. the question was can you talk about the emotions around of a tags and did you reach the point where you made the decision and you would not look back? >> i guess that's what i did. i said i need to make a decision. the best case scenario seems to be to have the amputation. as unlikely as that sounded.

i didn't think that's what i would be saying to myself but it really was. so i just went with that decision. i had a lot of people, i didn't have any friends or family who said they thought i was making a mistake. so it was a decision that i almost felt like i didn't have a choice. it was what i really needed to do. i tried not to think about it too much as i was going into the operating room, when i came out, i wasn't going to have a whole leg anymore. and it has been difficult. but i know that it is going to only be difficult for a short period of time. and eventually things will get better. >> gentleman in the back? >> can you talk about what your expectations are and the cost of prosthetics and how it has affected you financially and getting through this? >> that's a big question. a lot of questions. the question was about the one fund, which i'm be sure she is aware of. because she hasn't been watching the news.

the financial impact of an injury like this and prosthetics. >> i've heard of the one fund. i don't know a whole lot about it. i don't know how they plan to distribute the money amongst the victims of the attack. and i honestly haven't really thought about it very much. the cost of the prosthetics, there have been so many different organizations that have come forward to offer their assistance in paying for those so i've been trying to look at some of those options that have been presented. i realize that they only last a certain period of time and i'm going to have them the rest of my life. and they're not inexpensive. but i haven't really given it all that much thought. >> i didn't mean to cut you off. i wanted to mention that heather's friends have established a fund for her. there's a fact sheet and we

would appreciate anything you can do to promote heather's fund. >> [ inaudible ]. >> a two-part question. could you talk a little about the conversations with the other amputees that the hospital brought in to talk with you as you were making your decision and have you talked to any of the other victims of the bombing? >> i haven't talked to any of the other victims at all. one of them is a friend of mine so at some point i would be interested in talking to her. i think she's been very busy. she had an above the knee amputation. she wasn't with me that day but she is a friend of main. so i'm certainly anxious to talk to her and others who are in the same situation i am. as far as -- the other part of the question? >> the other part was the folks who came in, the amputees who came in to talk to you about

what their lifestyle was like. >> aid couple people talk to me about the fact they were not willing to give up their foot at the point where they had to make the decision that i had to make and how they really regretted that decision. because it was years of pain and unnecessary sort of suffering for them. so that kind of helped me with the decision, hearing different people say sort of support what the doctors here were telling me. most of the people i've spoken with had amputations related to motorcycle accidents or some received amputations for incidents that happened in iraq or afghanistan. and they seem like very positive people. they just say, you know, this is who they are. and i aspire to be like that eventually. >> gentleman at the back? >> you've been through what they would describe as a life altering experience. explain what appears to be your

positive attitude and what would be your mention to others? >> you've been through what appears to be a life altering experience. can you explain for us your positive attitude and -- >> mention for others. >> what is your mention for others? >> i think like i said earlier, it is a life altering experience. and if i didn't have the support system in my family and friends that i do, i think i would be devastated. i don't think i would have a positive outlook. but it is so hard for me to focus on anything negative. because they're always around. i have hardly any time to myself to really sit there and dwell on it. if i do find myself, my mind kind of going there, i try to turn it around and say you can't sit there and say what if. what if i arrived five minutes later or five minutes earlier. what if i decided not to go to the game this year. i think i did that for a little while but you know, this is with the situation i'm faced with.

it is not going to change. for me to dwell on the negative is sort of a waste of time to me. >> yes. right here. >> was there a point in this whole process where you thought you might be able to save the limb? >> the question is, was there a point in this whole process where you thought you might be able to save the limb? >> i have a follow-up. >> all right. trying to give heather a break here but i guess we'll keep letting her go of. >> there were points where i thought i would be able to keep it. especially at the beginning when i went into my first surgery. coming directly in from the bombing. they said, the doctors told me they needed to do a second surgery and take a good look at it and determine if they would be abe to safety or not. until they did that surgery, i was thinking there was a possibility that i would be able to in they did it and came back and said, you know, you could but you probably shouldn't.

>> we are listening in to heather abbott. an incredible young woman. she is 38 years old. as you heard there, her leg was of aed today from the knee below after shrapnel tore her foot apart. she was actually attending a boston red sox game and she and her friends had migrated over to the forum bar to hang out what they thought was a beautiful day. when that explosive device went off near her. several individuals jump in the to help her. one man using his belt as turn kit. she credits her friends and family to keep her upbeat. one of the many stories. there are miracles of people who survive and are there to tell their story. we'll be back for you tomorrow on "news nation." hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios

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